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Judaism, Christianity And Islam

Decent Essays

When death occurs in our family or in close friendships, the psychological consequences of the loss can be devastating. Feelings of emptiness, hopelessness or helplessness can have a major impact on our mental and physical health. Fortunately, throughout history, different cultures and religions have created ways for the mourners to cope with the tragedy of losing a loved one. In this paper, I will be comparing the advantages offered by religious traditions for the mourners, focusing on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In addition, I will be contrasting them with the benefits offered by our modern secular funeral services. To start, Judaism’s priorities are on community and on law. Therefore, Jewish traditions regarding procedures after the death of an individual are very strict and extensive. First, the mourners are identified: children, parents, spouses and siblings. These family members are prohibited from participating in any funeral preparations and from continuing doing daily activities such as working, cooking or bathing. In fact, the only thing that the mourners are expected to do is to think about the deceased and to process their death, because they are thought to be too broken to function. This temporary stop of daily functioning and responsibilities can be very healing, as it gives them time to solely dedicate themselves to grieving. Furthermore, although mourners aren’t allowed to do anything, during the Shiva, their basic needs are covered by the community,

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